The Butterfly Effect

 

   Cars & Iphones

   The image above is from this morning's New York Times: "Cracked Lake Bed Is a Stark Symbol of Taiwan's Drought. Influencers Take Note," AP, May 10, 2021. I noticed it because I am still inside. It is too cold to head out.

   The current drought in Taiwan is really unfortunate for those who live there. It is also unfortunate for us, and not just because we are empathetic. That gets me to "The Butterfly Effect", which has to do with a butterfly flapping its wings and causing a typhoon. In the article it is mentioned that: 

Officials call the drought Taiwan’s worst in more than half a century, and it is putting pressure on the island’s semiconductor industry. More than 90 percent of the world’s manufacturing capacity for the most advanced chips is in Taiwan.

   You may recall a recent article in the London Free Press where it was noted that the Cami Plant in Ingersoll closed on Feb. 7 and will remain closed until the end of June. There is a shortage of semiconductor chips. 

Case Study

   There was an earlier article about the Taiwanese situation: "Drought in Taiwan Pits Chip Makers Against Farmers: The island is going to great lengths to keep water flowing to its all-important semiconductor industry, including shutting off irrigation to legions of rice growers." (NYT, April 8, 2021.)

   The scenario of the shortage of water creating disputes between thirsty groups is likely to happen elsewhere - for example, in the United States. Who needs the water more, the citizens of Phoenix to drink or the farmers of California to farm? That the situation is not a hypothetical one is reflected in this headline. Perhaps the folks up at the Ivey School of Business can get a case study out of it: 'Megadrought' Persists in Western U.S., As Another Extremely Dry Year Develops: The Long-Running Dry Stretch Rivals Anything in the Last 1200 Years, A Sign of Climate- Change Induced "Aridification." Alejandra Borunda, National Geographic, May 7, 2021. 

  Stay tuned. It had gotten a little warmer, but also cloudier. I may be back.